With less than a week before Migrants’ Day on June 7, an alliance of organizations composed of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families hit President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over the plight of OFWs in distress.
BY AUBREY MAKILAN
MIGRANT WATCH
Vol. VII, No. 17 June 3-9, 2007
With less than a week before Migrants’ Day on June 7, an alliance of organizations composed of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families hit President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over the plight of OFWs in distress.
“It’s unbearable that while the Arroyo regime gloats over a ‘strong economy’ buoyed by billions of OFW dollar remittances, she can’t find the time or money to address the plight of OFWs unjustly on death row, in prison or stranded overseas,” said Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante International chairperson.
Citing data from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the group said there are 34 OFWs on death row – including two women – while thousands are languishing in prison and many more are “stranded,” largely in the Middle East.
Referring to numerous reports by OFWs like Rodelio Lanuza, who is on death row in Saudi Arabia, about alleged government inaction and negligence over their cases, the group called for an immediate investigation into his and all other cases of OFWs in prison.
“RP posts abroad, the DFA and the Arroyo regime must be held accountable for every day that these OFWs languish in jail,” said Bragas-Regalado, noting that the circumstances leading to the imprisonment of OFWs must also be scrutinized.
The group described “stranded” OFWs as OFWs in distress who want to return to the Philippines but are often unable because of the refusal of their employers or recruiters to provide them tickets and/or the lack of travel documents. The 1995 Migrants Act states that in such cases, the Philippine government is responsible for their repatriation.
“But in spite of an approximately P8 billion ($173.2 million based on an exchange rate of $1:P46.18 as of June 1) OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) fund, a DFA budget for their repatriation and Malacañang pronouncements about the repatriation of OFWs in ‘trouble spots,’ stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and elsewhere are largely ignored,” said the migrant leader.
Bragas-Regalado concluded that as Migrants’ Day on June 7 approaches, Migrante International will lead a series of activities to expose the worsening situation of OFWs under Arroyo. Migrants Day was proclaimed by the Ramos administration to mark the anniversary of the passage of RA 8042 or the 1995 Migrants Act.
Protests everywhere
To show their feelings, OFWs and overseas Filipinos in Japan, New Zealand, and Rome protested during the Philippine president visits in these countries.
For Arroyo’s visit in Japan on May 21-23, OFWs and various Japanese groups held candle lightings and vigils in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka condemning “the rampant violations of human rights in the Philippines committed by the Arroyo government through its agents and hired-killers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.”
The activities were organized by the Amnesty International Japan, Human Rights Now, WAYAWAYA, Philippines Committee, National Christian Council in Japan, and Tokyo and Yokohama People’s Network against Political Killings in the Philippines.
Arroyo’s next stop in New Zealand was met with protests.
Dennis Maga, spokesperson of the “Free Ka Bel” Movement has been protesting since Philippines president Gloria Arroyo arrived in New Zealand on a state visit.
In Wellington on May 28, he stood in a cage outside The Beehive as Arroyo and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark held a media conference.
During the interfaith dialogue hosted by Clark at Waitangi, members of the National Distribution Union and supporters held huge banners reading ‘Stop the Killings Gloria’ and ‘Stop the Killings in the Philippines,’ planted several dozen white crosses at the entry to the treaty grounds to symbolize the 858 extra judicial killings during the Arroyo regime, and placed photographs of slain activists such as Protestant Bishop Alberto Ramento.
Renowned New Zealand law professor Jane Kelsey said that crosses planted at the entry to the Copthorne Hotel made it impossible for Arroyo to miss the protest when she arrived to address the conference.
The cold weather did not discourage the OFWs and their supporters to show their dismay to Arroyo when she arrived in Australia on May 29.
In Melbourne, a protest action was organized by the Philippines Australia Solidarity Association (PASA), Australia Asia Worker Links (AAWL) and Migrante Melbourne. It was attended by members of various groups such as the Union Solidarity, Electrical Trades Union (ETU), Communications Electrical & Plumbing Union (CEPU), Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), Australian Services Union (ASU), Australian Union of Workers (AUW), Staff from the office of Senator Marshall, Bolivarian Circle, and Friends of Rapu Rapu – Melbourne.
They braved the cold & wet weather in Melbourne on May 31 to protests against the continuous extrajudicial killings in the Philippines and the signing of a military agreement between Australia and the Philippines.
In Rome, Italy, OFWs organized the same welcome for Arroyo who will be staying there from June 2-4.
“Gloria Arroyo’s visit to Rome, the seat of the Vatican, on June 2-4, is part of her regime’s international public relations blitz to repair the tarnished image of the Philippines as a democratic country after the fraudulent and violent congressional and local elections last May 14,” read the statements of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) International-Europe. “The Rome visit is also to get the Catholic Church’s blessings for her criminal regime.”
“She will surely face a furious Filipino community and its solidarity friends here in Europe,” the statement read. Umangat-Rome, Lampada-Milan, Migrante Europe and Bayan International-Europe are among the Filipino groups in Europe, condemning the human rights violations in the Philippines, that will launch their protests actions.
Other campaigns
Meanwhile, OFWs in other countries are also having their own campaign against the rights abuses targeting Filipino activists.
In Canada and Japan, Filipino migrants and workers have launched their respective petitions calling for an end to these violations.
Filipino-Canadian formations, such as the Center for Philippine Concerns and the broad Canadian Coalition to Stop the Political Killings in the Philippines, lobbied Members of Parliament (MPs) who tabled their signature campaign that gathered thousands of signatures across Canada in the House of Commons.
The Centre for Philippine Concerns also led a prayer vigil on April 29 in front of the St. James United Church in Montreal. The march from the church to the US Consulate was part of their effort to keep the public and supporters aware and vigilant and “to show the people that we must hold US imperialism and its puppet regime accountable for the political killings in the Philippines.”
The United Methodist Church, specifically the California-Nevada conference, formed a 17-member team that would issue a report about the killings and disappearances of activists and civilians in the Philippines on June 10. The report was based on a recent fact-finding mission in the Philippines.
In Hong Kong, protests frequent the Philippine Consulate led by Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP), Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP)-Hong Kong, and United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK).
HKCAHRPP called for the international community to continue and intensify the international pressure to resolve the human rights abuses in the Philippines and to make “GMA’s terror regime accountable for crimes against the Filipino people as laid down by the guilty verdict by the independent and prestigious Permanent Peoples Tribunal.” OFWs in Hong Kong also campaigned for elections free from fraud and violence.(Bulatlat.com)
